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OnePlus has become slower and slower at releasing security updates in a timely manner, ranking far behind devices from Samsung, Google, and other companies in our security update tracker. The first week of November is coming to a close, but OnePlus is about to update its first phones to the October security patch level.
Many websites will stop working on older Android versions in 2021
Let's Encrypt will stop signing new SSL certificates with DST Root X1
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It took a long time, but most of the web now uses HTTPS to securely transmit information, partially thanks to a push by Google. However, this does mean that many websites could encounter issues (or fail to load entirely) if the proper certificates aren't installed on your device, which is exactly what will happen to older Android devices next year.
Sony's latest WH-1000XM4 noise-cancelling headphones are back down to $278 ($72 off)
The best ANC headphones around
Sony has been producing excellent noise-cancelling headphones for years, and its latest high-end option is the WH-1000XM4. Despite its horrible name, the headphones offer incredible isolation and sound quality, and now they are at their lowest price yet: $278.00.The WH-1000XM4 works over Bluetooth 5.0 or 3.5mm, and there's a USB Type-C port for charging with NFC for fast pairing. It lasts up to 30 hours with noise cancelling enabled, or as much as 38 hours with the functionality off. The headphones earned a 9/10 in our review, with our only complaints being the mediocre microphone quality and lack of support for the AptX audio codec. It was also a bit difficult to recommend at its original price of $350, but now that's less of a problem.
Amazon already had its Prime Day festivities last month, but the company apparently still has some Echo speakers it needs to clear out. Amazon has again discounted most of its hardware products, plus a few third-party devices running Fire TV.The bulk of the discounts are on Fire TV devices, including the HDMI sticks, the Fire TV Cube that looks like a Borg ship, TVs running Fire OS, various Echo Show smart speakers, and the pint-sized Echo Flex. Most of the prices are identical to what we saw on Prime Day, so if you already bought something then, you don't have to worry about missing out.
JBL sells a lot of portable speakers, but one of the company's more popular options is the Xtreme 2. It's a water-resistant portable speaker, perfect for use around the home or outdoors, and now you can get it for $199.99. That's a savings of $150 over the usual price.The JBL Xtreme 2 is a 40W speaker that can play audio over Bluetooth or a 3.5mm audio jack. You can take it on the go, thanks to its rechargeable 10,000mAh battery and IPX7 water-resistant design. The battery can last for up to 15 hours of playtime, and there's a detachable strap that allows for easier portability.
November officially marks the end of the line for the Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL, as security updates for both phones have halted. The devices are still functional, and you can switch to custom ROMs like LineageOS to keep the security fixes coming, but the hardware is starting to age as well.This is a strange year for phone releases, especially from Google. Owners of the Pixel 2 have three Pixel phones to choose from, if they want to stick to Google-made phones, and figuring out how they all stack up is a bit complicated. Thankfully, we're here to do all the hard work.
OnePlus 7 and 7T series get new OxygenOS Open Beta with October security patch — Downloads now available
It's already November, but who's counting
OnePlus has become slower and slower at shipping security updates in a timely manner, ranking far behind devices from Samsung, Google, and other companies in our security update tracker. The OnePlus 7 and 7T series took over a month to receive the September security update, and the company is sticking to roughly the same schedule with the October fixes.
Far Cry is one of Ubisoft's most popular game franchises, with most of the titles taking place in an open-world area where you fight against rival factions for control. The fifth entry was released in 2018, placing you in modern-day Montana as you battle a doomsday cult, and now it has arrived on Google's Stadia streaming platform. Last year's spin-off title, New Dawn, has also joined the party.
OnePlus fixes its application form for unlocking T-Mobile 8T bootloaders
OnePlus had similar issues with the T-Mobile OP8
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The OnePlus 8T is available to purchase from T-Mobile and OnePlus' own online store, though the phone differs slightly depending on where you bought it from. The T-Mobile includes an IP68 rating and various software tweaks, and just like most phones you buy through carriers, it requires a special code to unlock the bootloader. Now, after some early troubles, T-Mobile 8T owners can apply to obtain those unlock codes.
Tor Browser for Android now based on updated Firefox app
The new version has been in development since April
Tor Browser is a web browser that routes all your network requests through the encrypted Tor network, intended to provide complete anonymity. Browsing the web with Tor used to require the Orbot and Orfox apps, until they were combined into the single Tor Browser last year. Tor Browser has now received a significant update, switching to the codebase used by the new Firefox for Android.
Android Auto is broken on Android 11, but the November update fixes some bugs
There are reported issues with audio playback, calling, notifications, and more
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Operating systems are incredibly complex pieces of software, so it's perhaps not too surprising that despite several beta releases, a few bugs snuck into the final release of Android 11. The update has apparently caused issues with Android Auto, leading to some drivers being unable to play music or read notifications.
Samsung showcases One UI 3.0 design ahead of final release
There are also hints of exclusive features coming to more devices
Android 11 has been out for a while now, but the update has yet to land on Samsung's phones and tablets. The company is preparing its One UI 3.0 update based on Android 11, which is already in public beta, and now Samsung is giving us a glimpse at the final look and feel.
Google's smartphone strategy has always been a bit haphazard, but this year represents the company's greatest departure yet. The Pixel 5 is aimed at a lower price point than the Pixel 4 and 4 XL were, which means some features were cut. So, if you have a Pixel 4, will you get a worse phone if you buy the Pixel 5? That's what we'll attempt to answer here.
Mobvoi just released the new TicWatch 3 Pro, which is (by most accounts) the best Wear OS smartwatch you can buy right now. While that model isn't on sale, Mobvoi has discounted all of its other smartwatches by as much as 33%, but the sales end today.The cheapest model up for grabs is the TicWatch S2 for $125.99 ($54 off), an older Snapdragon Wear 2100 watch with 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, 5ATM water resistance, and a heart rate sensor. You won't get an amazing Wear OS experience with that hardware, but it's enough to check notifications from your wrist. The TicWatch S2 Pro for $146.99 ($63 off) is a better value, with its 1GB RAM and NFC support for Google Pay, but still uses the ancient Wear 2100 SoC.
OmniROM was an incredibly popular custom ROM back in the day, and it may surprise you to know that it's still under development. The project is making headlines again for a new port by Max Weninger (maxwen), which brings the software to the Raspberry Pi 4.
Get the Moto G Stylus for just $200 ($70 off)
Would you buy one Note20 Ultra or five Moto G Styluses?
Motorola released two main G-series phones earlier this year, the G Power and G Stylus. The latter option has a built-in passive stylus for drawing and other screen interactions, and now you can buy the phone for just $199.99. That's $100 below the original price, but the phone has been listed at $269.99 almost continuously since August, so this is more like $70 off.The Moto G Stylus is equipped with a Snapdragon 665 SoC, 4GB RAM, 128GB of internal storage (with microSD support), a 6.4-inch 1080p LCD screen, three rear cameras, a 16MP front camera, and a 4,000mAh battery. It shipped with Android 10, and it's not clear yet when the phone will receive an update to Android 11.
Motorola released its flagship Edge+ phone earlier this year, but it was always a bit weird to have a plus model when a regular model didn't exist. Motorola fixed that with the cheaper Edge a few months later, which has now dropped to $399.99 at Amazon and B&H Photo. The phone was $500 for a short time last month (and again on Prime Day), but it's typically sold for $600.The Motorola Edge has a Snapdragon 765 chipset, 6GB RAM, 256GB of storage, triple rear cameras, a 4,500mAh battery with 18W charging, and a headphone jack. The 'Edge' name comes from the curved 6.7-inch OLED display, which has a resolution of 2340 x 1080 and can operate at up to 90Hz. Like most other Moto phones, the Motorola Edge works on all major U.S. networks.
Samsung SmartThings Find uses other people's phones to locate your lost devices
The new service uses Bluetooth LE and ultra-wideband tech
Phones are (usually) always connected to a network, so tracking them when they are lost isn't too difficult, but the same is not true for most other devices. Apple has been experimenting with using Bluetooth and ultra-wideband wireless signals to track the location of devices without Wi-Fi or cellular connection, and now Samsung is introducing similar technology with its own products following a few months of testing."Samsung Electronics today announced the launch of SmartThings Find," the company wrote in a news release, "a new service that helps you quickly and easily locate Galaxy devices. After 6 million users across Korea, the U.K. and U.S. signed up for early access to the service, SmartThings Find is ready for a global launch on devices running Android 8 or later." Besides the company's Android devices, SmartThings Find also works with Galaxy Watches running Tizen 5.5 or later, Galaxy Buds+, and Galaxy Buds Live.The service uses a combination of Bluetooth Low Energy and ultra-wideband wireless to determine the location of devices. Bluetooth LE is common on smartphones these days, but the ultra-wideband functionality is only available on the Galaxy Note20 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold2 right now. Once you complete a quick registration process, you can use the SmartThings app to select the device you want to locate, which should display a map.[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGCHpFJl6Hs[/EMBED_YT]The functionality can also optionally use crowdsourced data from other Samsung devices. The company said, "SmartThings users can now opt in to securely use their Galaxy smartphone or tablet to help others locate their lost devices. [...] If you report your device as lost via SmartThings Find, any nearby Galaxy smartphone or tablet that has opted into helping find misplaced devices can alert the Samsung server about its location, which will in turn notify you. All SmartThings Find user data is encrypted and securely protected, ensuring that the device’s location is not revealed to anyone except its owner."Samsung also revealed that it will release a tracking tag "early next year" that will support SmartThings Find, presumably similar to products like Tile. It's unclear if the upcoming tag would support both Bluetooth LE and ultra-wideband, or just stick with Bluetooth to keep costs down.Source: Samsung
Samsung's Galaxy Apps redesign is focused on Fortnite and not much else
Samsung is using Epic's battle with Google to its advantage
Samsung has operated its own app store for years, the Galaxy Store, seemingly as a backup ecosystem in case the company's relationship with Google ever soured. There aren't many reasons to use the Galaxy Store over the Play Store, but Samsung now turning Epic Games and Google's ongoing legal battles to its advantage with a new marketing push.
Google confirms the Nest Secure has been discontinued, additional sensors will be available in December
It was released in 2017 and never received a direct successor
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Google released the Nest Secure in 2017 as a simple security system with motion sensors and a keypad, but it never received an upgrade, even as other Nest devices were updated again and again. Google has now confirmed to Android Police that the Nest Secure is discontinued, though it will continue functioning.